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Susie O’Neill’s house is on the market.

It’s rare for a house to come on the market in the coveted Brisbane Corso in Yeronga.

It’s even more rare that it happens to be owned by a former eight-time Olympic gold medallist and darling of the Australian swimming world.

And yet, here it is: 401 Brisbane Corso, home of Australia’s Madame Butterfly, Susie O’Neill.

Susie O’Neill’s family home in Yeronga.

The swimming champion, her husband, ophthalmologist Cliff Fairley, and their two sons, Alix, 16, and William, 14, have lived in the house for almost 20 years and it has been an integral and much cherished part of their lives.

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Yet coming to own the house in 2001 was somewhat accidental, according to Susie, after the pair stumbled upon it in a renovation write-up in The Courier Mail.

“We thought, wow, look at that amazing home, but didn’t think more of it. Then we saw it again, I think it was a few weeks later, in the listings section; it was for sale,” she said.

“We were house-hunting at the time but we weren’t really looking in Yeronga, until we saw that house.”

Olympic swimmer Susie O’Neill with selling agent Christine Rudolph outside 401 Brisbane Corso.

Designed by Harry Poulos Architects, the five-bedroom family home on an 875 sqm block has endured the passing of time well. A new-build when Susie bought it for $1.3 million,
its modular exterior and open-plan layout were so avant-garde that 20 years on it fails to look dated.

While the house has undergone some modifications over the years — a lick of paint, an updated room here and there — Susie said its footprint had remained the same.

“The layout of the house is quite open-plan, which at the time, I guess, was quite modern,” Susie said. “We thought it was space age,” she laughed.

One feature of the property that has been a more recent addition is the pool with a Fast lane swim machine. One of only two in the country, you swim against a current to notch up distance while staying on the spot.

The house has had minor renovations done to it since it was built in 2001.

There is also a wide covered entertaining deck with a built-in barbecue and seating, and mature landscaped gardens that lead to a powered pontoon on the water.

Yet, for Susie and the family, the home’s most remarkable feature is the view.

The swimming pool has a Fast lane swim machine installed and is only one of two in Australia.

“The house has the most amazing view of the river, which you see as soon as you walk through the front door.”

She fondly recalls times of when her children were young and she would rise early in the mornings, wrap a duvet around herself and, with a cup of coffee in hand, sit and watch the rowers go by.

The decor is soothing and minimalist.

It’s times such as these that have made walking away from the property so hard — for Susie at least.

“I don’t think my husband is too concerned,” she laughed. “I think I get way more emotionally attached to things.

“It was the first house we bought together and it is where we raised our two sons. One
of my favourite memories is of the boys running around under the sprinklers in the back yard, before we had the pool. So, yeah, it’s hard to let go.”

Brisbane Corso is one of Brisbane’s most elite enclaves.

The elite road of Brisbane Corso is one of the most coveted in the city for its views and privacy.

Buyers of the property will be in good company with several athletes and sporting identities residing in the street, including the owners of champion racehorse Winx and former Olympian Mark Stockwell.

While the decision to move has not been an easy one, Susie said the family’s busy schedule meant it made sense for them to be closer to the boys’ school, to cut down on commuting.

The house goes under the hammer on September 12, if not sold beforehand.

The house has an amazing view of Brisbane River.

The post Golden opportunity to buy Olympian Susie O’Neill’s long-term family home appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Unit supply is expected to drop. Photo: iStock

Sydney apartment supply is set to shrink over the next few years as projects are cancelled or pushed back because of poor buyer demand extenuated by the pandemic slowdown.

Apartment construction activity in Sydney peaked at around 8000 apartments per quarter in early 2017. But unit construction is currently continuing through a period of decline. Assuming all currently marketed off the plan projects proceed, it has been forecast that residential construction in Sydney will fall to less than 2000 units per quarter from late next year.

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It will therefore create likely issues of undersupply, according to a new comprehensive report.

In the meantime, Sydney faces the challenge of finding buyers for an estimated 18,000 apartments that are set for completion in 2020-2021.

Supply will be concentrated in the middle suburbs, which will account for 45 per cent of the total, followed by the outer region with 25 per cent. Only 7 per cent of total completions will occur in the central city region.

Off the plan sales peaked in 2016 then slowed through 2017 before declining more sharply from 2018 as investors retreated amid more stringent lending practices after the Hayne Royal Commission, and higher interest rates being applied to investors.

Foreign investor demand was curtailed by the NSW state government foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge as well as capital controls by the Chinese Government limiting outbound investment.

Low population growth is having a major impact. Photo: iStock

Angie Zigomanis, director of research and strategy Charter Keck Cramer, reckons green shoots in off the plan demand had begun to emerge toward the end of 2019. However, the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown have caused “significant ructions” in the rental and investor market. He said demand for apartments in metropolitan Sydney has historically been underpinned by a combination of high house prices and strong population growth driven by high net overseas migration.

However, occupier demand is weakening as the international border closure caused by the COVID-19 lockdown causes net overseas migration inflows to collapse.

The closure of international borders has caused a significant reduction in tenant demand and local landlords have added to the supply by marketing their short stay apartments as long term rentals.

“A moratorium on evictions has thus far prevented a large exodus from rental apartments although landlords will likely face lower rental income as rents are renegotiated,” Mr Zigomanis said. “As the economy contracts, the sharp rise in unemployment will constrain the ability of many tenants to pay rent.”

High unemployment will also hurt the market.

Supply remains high with 22,500 apartments completed in Metropolitan Sydney over the past year to June, the fourth highest on record. Some 60 per cent of completions were within the middle region, with many still for sale.

Project launches in FY2020 show a greater proportion of apartments in larger projects. The proportion of apartments in buildings of 300-plus apartments has increased from three per cent of completions to 14 per cent.

In FY2020, there were a total of 5300 apartments in projects that commenced marketing, reflecting a dramatic fall from the 23,500 apartments launched in FY2018.

The post Sydney apartment supply set to shrink in coming years due to pandemic driven demand drop appeared first on realestate.com.au.

COVID-safe and with a view – G.01/3 East Crescent St, McMahons Point.

One of the best weapons against contracting COVID-19 is avoiding close social interaction, especially in confined spaces.

The virus is known to be contracted through touching surfaces touched by infected people, so we’ve all become well versed in the regular use of antibacterial hand rub and wipes, and minimising what we touch outside the home.

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But if you live in an apartment, getting into your home can be fraught with COVID challenges, from pushing the button on the lift, to sharing the lift and even touching communal doorhandles.

Take a look at this apartment, which could be one of Australia’s most COVID-safe when it comes to entries. And it even has a harbour view.

Here you can get in and out of your home without sharing a lift or stairwell, or even touching a communal button or door handle. You won’t even have to share the floor with neighbours.

Your own garage and lift.

Multiple living spaces inside and out.

Privacy is a big feature.

In fact you won’t even have to share the garage.

Meet G.01/3 East Crescent Street, McMahons Point, a four-bedroom garden apartment in the boutique block The Bradfield.

The whole-floor garden apartment has an impressive floor plan brimming with bespoke features and covered outdoor living space.

The terrace looks out over landscaped gardens and lawn, and the views travel across Lavender Bay to the city.

Stellar view.

There are multiple living zones.

The home cinema.

Features include a Calacatta marble kitchen with bespoke cabinetry, a Miele suite of

appliances and a Siemens 90cm gas cooktop, home office, home cinema and high-tech biometric facial and fingerprint security.

The luxury apartment is for sale by private treaty with a guide of $7.95 million, and is being marketed by Adrian Bridges and Taylor Jones, of LJ Hooker Avnu.

The kitchen.

Formal dining.

Sweet dreams.

Mr Bridges said the apartment was attracting plenty of attention, particularly from downsizers. The private garage and lift, as well as the high-tech security, were major drawcards, especially in this COVID-conscious climate.

“It’s a world-class development,” he said.

“It is virtually touch free getting into the apartment and the security and privacy are big features. You’re not going through common areas, or using lifts or walkways. It has a lot of appeal.”

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The post McMahons Point apartment offers impressive level of COVID protection appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Blue-chip areas in Canberra’s inner circle have predictably dominated the city’s list of priciest locations, but a couple of surprise suburbs have ascended into the latest top 10.

New data from realestate.com.au reveals the most expensive suburbs in Canberra for the 12 months to 30 July 2020, which includes sought-after central, inner south and inner north locations, as well as entries from Woden and Weston Creek.

Old-Canberra stalwart Red Hill topped the list with a median sale price of $1.6 million, up 10 per cent year-on-year.

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A home on Mugga Way in Red Hill sold for $8 million in March.

Neighbouring Griffith ($1,455,000) and Deakin ($1,375,000) came in second and third, respectively.

Last year’s number one, Yarralumla, dropped to fourth position with a median sale price of $1,350,000, followed in order by Campbell, Ainslie, O’Connor and Narrabundah.

The ninth and tenth spots went to two unexpected additions from outer districts: Isaacs ($965,000) and Chapman ($963,750).

Red Hill has a median of $1.6 million.

Suburbs must have had at least 30 sales to qualify, which is why some of the city’s tightly held premium areas didn’t make the list.

Red Hill’s higher median sale price was affected by a record-making $8 million sale on the suburb’s Golden Mile in March this year.

Bill Lyristakis, Berkely Residential – Kingston, the selling agent for 25 Mugga Way, said there were many attributes that made Red Hill “the most valuable in suburb in Canberra”.

Chapman has experienced strong price growth.

“It’s split into two parts: old Red Hill, which is made up of large holdings that were given to senior public servants in the 1930s and ‘40s, where they kept orchards, chickens etc. As times progressed, [the blocks] have not been reconsolidated and are still around 4000-5000sqm – some even up to 11,000sqm,” Mr Lyristakis said.

“In the new part of Red Hill, blocks are about 1000-1100sqm. So it’s largely in part to the inner south location but also the land holdings.

“You can get larger homes, really large blocks, tennis courts, pools … they’re really sought-after.”

Chapman in Weston Creek has experienced strong price growth across the last few years to ascend to tenth position.

Jonathan Irwin, director of Irwin Property and Chapman resident, said the suburb’s median price was “around $750,000 three years ago” and has become popular for its peaceful lifestyle offering.

Griffith has a median price of $1.455 million.

“I live in Chapman and I think one of the nicest aspects is that it’s elevated and on the northern side of the hill, Cooleman Ridge, which gives beautiful northern light and views,” Mr Irwin said.

“Then you’ve got the nature reserve, generous big blocks, nice gardens and lots of interesting architectural styles.

“It’s easy to just jump in the car to go to the shops, but you can walk or ride to nature. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Chapman’s median sale price now sits at $963,750 – up 3 per cent year on year.

The post Surprise additions to Canberra’s 10 priciest suburbs shows broad growth appeared first on realestate.com.au.

The old country-style kitchen is unrecognisable. Picture: Aaron Busch

Remember the love affair with all things country in the 1990s? That was what confronted interior designer Monique Sartor when she and her husband bought a large but largely unloved terrace in Glebe.

“It was a country-style kitchen with a terrible layout,” Monique says. “There was a fireplace which was where they put the stove and then there was a tiny bit of benchspace and then the sink.”

The new kitchen has a more functional layout. Picture: Aaron Busch

When she found herself holding some of the cupboard doors together with wood glue, Monique realised it was time for a full renovation.

“I wanted the kitchen to have a more functional layout,” she says.

“The old fireplace took up more than half that wall and there was no space to eat in the kitchen, or do homework. You had to go into the dining room.”

The east-facing kitchen was gutted and windows on the southern side were replaced by doors, offering access to a deck.

The kitchen is packed with storage, including drawers under the upholstered window seat Picture: Aaron Busch

Monique designed a kitchen along one wall with a long island bench and breakfast bar through the middle, and an upholstered seat under the window.

The old hallway was converted into a separate pantry and powder room while Monique also created a sunroom on the other side of the dining room.

The powder room is covered in wallpaper from the Matthew Williamson range for Osborne & Little. Picture: Aaron Busch

With close attention to natural light, Monique went to town on pattern and colour, using bold fabrics, wallpapers and floor tiles. Black and white floor tiles connect the sunroom, kitchen and powder room while wallpaper from Osborne & Little and Casamance fabric bring the spaces to life. While Monique was confident in her choices, other family members took a little longer to get on board.

“I told my husband I was going to wallpaper the powder room but I didn’t show him which one,” she says. “There was some initial negativity but now anytime anyone comes over, that’s the first place he takes them.”

Designer Monique Sartor followed her heart to design a kitchen perfect for her family’s needs. Picture: Aaron Busch

Appliances such as the fridge and dishwasher have been concealed to make the space feel less clinical, along with an artwork Monique created herself. Black and white photographs she took and framed make a striking display in the sunroom.

The dramatic sunroom includes a gallery of photographs Monique took herself. Picture: Aaron Busch

Although the rooms are unapologetically colourful, with a white Corian benchtop and blue/grey joinery, the base is quite neutral, making it surprisingly easy to change up. She now uses her kitchen to show clients how colour can work for them.

“It helps people visualise how it will look,” she says.

Pictures: Aaron Busch

THE PROJECT

Owners

Interior designer Monique Sartor, her husband and their two kids

Designer

Sartorial Interiors, sartorialinteriors.com.au

The brief

To replace the country-style kitchen with a harder working, more functional space and connect it better to the other rooms

The site

A large terrace in Glebe that had seen better days

Design solution

To create a colourful, streamlined eat-in kitchen with easy flow to the dining room, sunroom and outdoors

How long did it take

Three months

The post An interior designer goes wild with colour in her own inner city kitchen appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Designer Andrew Waller made this Paddington terrace feel bigger without extending. Picture: John Paul Urizar

When you’re looking at a renovation project, costs can quickly add up, especially once you start talking about major structural change.

Designer Andrew Waller says when he first started working with the owners of this Paddington terrace, they had their hearts set on extending.

He talked them out of it.

“The clients were thinking of widening the back of the house and perhaps adding some skylights,” Andrew says.

“Extending it might have added 800mm to 900mm more width – it wouldn’t have given them much more space. It was an external load-bearing wall which would need to be underpinned.

“We thought the house was big enough as it was.”

Before Andrew started, the rear entrance was dark and enclosed.

Andrew removed one internal wall, which opened up the floorplan a little, but the first big move was replacing the french doors and security bars at the rear and adding a fanlight above to draw in the easterly sunlight.

“That made a huge difference,” he says. “Taking the security bars off the doors helped a lot as well.”

New doors and a fanlight let in a lot more light. Picture: John Paul Urizar

The area leading to the outdoor space, which Andrew refreshed with grey pavers, became the obvious spot for casual dining, while the old dining space was converted into a service area.

The work allowed for a downstairs bathroom. Picture: John Paul Urizar

“That was the darkest part of the space,” he says.

“We used that rear wall for the majority of the big storage needs, like the fridge and freezer, and then you step into the butler’s pantry via a sliding door.”

Andrew made the old dining space the main service area, with a sliding door leading to the butler’s pantry. Picture: John Paul Urizar

Andrew also created an internal door for the laundry, which the owners used to access from the garden.

detail driven

While the owners wanted the new work to be light and bright, it still needed to tie in with the original terrace.

Architectural details from the era, including traditional skirting board and architrave profiles, blended the old with the new.

The old dining space was dark and enclosed.

Opting not to extend saved the clients a considerable amount of money which, Andrew says, was available to spend on other things in the house.

“One of the owners was quite surprised that you could create the feeling of more space without extending,” he says.

“It took a bit of convincing to start with.

“The owners initially thought that perhaps they should commit to a bigger budget and widen the space.

“But because they didn’t spend money on big structural changes, we have been able to use more premium fittings.”

Pictures: John Paul Urizar

More: mrwaller.com

The post How to create a larger home without extending your property appeared first on realestate.com.au.

There’s a commercial pizza oven, firepit, gym and pontoon, but the wine cellar is what really stands out in this Gold Coast house.

Home to the Atkins family for 18 years, the luxury compound at Sorrento is deceptively discreet from the street.

39 Campbell St, Sorrento.

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“It was very deceptive from the front but the water reach instantly appealed,” vendor Michael Atkins said.

“You’ve got privacy because you’re not looking across into neighbours.

“Instead you have unimpeded views of trees, the water and a north orientation.”

Anchored in a tranquil bay, just 50m from the main river, the new owners can enjoy the best of both worlds. “We can soak up rivers views without wake damage or boat noise.”

The entertainer features an alfresco terrace with a commercial pizza oven, pool, waterside firepit plus a pontoon, sandy beach, boat ramp and boat shed.

The epic wine cellar.

And don’t forget the 1500 bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar with double glazing, insulation, a pressed metal ceiling and LED lighting.

“It’s been fantastic for entertaining,” Mr Atkins said. “We’ve hosted big parties here of over 100 people. This house copes beautifully for that. Especially the wine cellar. That will be hard to leave.”

The property, which has been renovated twice during their tenure, is also a story of contrasts where every room seems to have a tale to tell.

“We wanted each room to have personality,” he said. “We ask ourselves, ‘where would we like to go today’.”

Style at every turn.

On offer is an elegant lounge with gas fireplace, inset into an Aspen natural stone wall, a living room which is reminiscent in an English reception room, a pool room with an oversized servery window plus a decadent timber panelled dining room adorned wall chandeliers. There’s also a cocktail bar and cabinet plus Beverly Hills Hotel handpainted wallpaper – another stand out of the residence.

The house is on the market through Kollosche agents Eoghan Murphy and Michael Kollosche who say they have had plenty of interest.

The kitchen.

“Of all my listings at the moment this one has generated the most inquiry,” Mr Murphy said. “We’ve just been inundated. The majority of interest is coming from Melbourne.”

He described the house as “a home with plenty of character”.

The property is on the market at $2.75 million through Eoghan Murphy and Michael Kollosche of Kollosche.

The post Inside Sorrento stunner with endless list of luxury features appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Tara Mathuranayagam and her daughter Harper, 8, are selling their family home in Hamlyn Heights, which they rebuilt after fire destroyed their old house on the site. Picture: Peter Ristevski

A luxury family home rebuilt from the ashes of a devastating fire has been listed for sale in Hamlyn Heights.

Tara Mathuranayagam and her husband Mario are saying goodbye to the four-bedroom modern masterpiece they crafted to replace their previous home in the aftermath of the 2016 blaze.

Ms Mathuranayagam blames bad luck for the electrical fire that engulfed their roof cavity on Good Friday night and forced the couple and their three children to start over at 16 Arthur Street.

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16 Arthur Street, Hamlyn Heights is an entertainer’s paradise.

High ceilings give great volume to the open-plan living area.

“We were in Quest apartments for about eight weeks. We went from having everything to having four plates, four bowls, four spoons,” she said.

“I guess the silver living in it is that we were able to recreate what we had and we were able to get a newer version.

“The only thing that remained was the facade. Everything else got pulled apart or pulled down, apart from the foundations.

“It’s a brand new house.”

The facade was the only thing that was retained after the 2016 house fire.

After making the difficult decision to rebuild the house they had already renovated, the couple worked with designer Charles Mccora and builder First Earth Construction on their new high-end home with two living zones, a huge outdoor entertainment area and a swimming pool on a 849sq m block.

The vendors were inspired by New York loft apartments for the new build.

The kitchen has VZug appliances and 5m marble bench.

The open-plan kitchen, dining and living area at the rear was born out of the family’s love for entertaining and features a 5m marble kitchen bench and top-of-the-range appliances.

Its 4m high ceiling avoided the need for a roof cavity — which was non-negotiable for Ms Mathuranayagam to move back in.

She splashed out on internal steel and glass doors that are now a standout feature of the house, along with herringbone Tasmanian oak flooring, polished concrete floors and terrazzo tiling.

Terrazzo and brass tapware add a touch of glamour to the ensuite.

The main bedroom.

“I love the New York loft apartment style and I put my glamour stamp on it,” Ms Mathuranayagam said.

She said they put in the pool as a gift to their children after the ordeal of the house fire and it had become a magnet for family and friends.

“We have hosted many functions and events,” she said.

“You throw open the doors and the house can accommodate up to 100 people. It’s a great space.”

The backyard is designed for outdoor entertaining and backs onto a tree-lined walking trail.

Whitford, Newtown agent Dale Whitford is selling the property, which has a price guide of $1.25m-$1.35m.

”It’s a bit of a surprise packet, when you look at it looks as though it’s humble,” Mr Whitford said.

“It’s like wow when you get inside.”

He said while the house was priced at the top end of the Hamlyn Heights market, a recent $1.305m sale in neighbouring Herne Hill showed buyers saw value at that range.

The post Hamlyn Heights family selling ‘wow’ house it rebuilt after fire appeared first on realestate.com.au.